DME F.Y.I.
is always excitement
T and here
some fear when the New
Year is upon us. The same
can be said about the medical
insurance landscape as well.
Medicare recently issued a
development notification that
will specifically affect dentists
that provide Medicare DME
services.
On November 28th, a
notification was mailed to all
Medicare Durable Medical
Equipment, Prosthetics,
Orthotics and Supplies
(DMEPOS) providers.
The big question is why does
this matter and how are you
affected?
Dentists must now carry
a Surety Bond in order to
provide DME services to
Medicare beneficiaries.
Below are additional
important details that require
your timely action:
• Surety Bond must
provide $50,000 coverage
minimum per practice
location.
• You will have 60 calendar
days from the date on the
notification letter to obtain
the Surety Bond.
• You can obtain a DMEPOS
Surety Bond from your
current general liability
LISA FISCHER -HERDT
P.S. - IMPORTANT
insurance company.
• If the information is
not provided within
the allotted time frame
your Medicare PTAN will
be DEACTIVATED. Once
deactivated you will not be
able to provide Medicare
DME services, and you will
need to reapply.
If you are in the process of the
Medicare application process
you should receive an email
from your Medicare Analyst
requesting the need of the
Surety Bond documentation.
Please review the email
notification to ensure that
you are adhering to the time
frame to produce the request.
This has been a topic of
conversation on many
different forums. The National
Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC)
issued an article outlining
the change. The regulations
have yet to be updated in 42
CFR § 424.57(d)(15)(i)(C). The
notated reason for the update
is as follows: “In recent years
the NSC has seen a spike in
the enrollment of Dentists for
DMEPOS services. Dentists
were initially allowed the
exemption for the surety bond
requirement”. Think about
that for a moment! Dentists
have impacted Medicare’s
DME significantly enough to
be defined as a “spike”. This
means that Dental Sleep
Medicine is moving the
needle! That is a testament
to your continued pursuit
in providing options to
ensure that people do not go
untreated.
Medicare can be difficult
to navigate. Your billing
service provider will be
well versed in the updates
and will be a your valuable
resource. They will be the
GPS for your practice and
get you to the correct place
without re-routing. We are
always available to provide
assistance as needed.
Questions? Contact Lisa
Fischer-Herdt, Director of
Billing Services, 4 Pillar
Billing.
LISA FISCHER-HERDT
Director of Billing
Services, 4 Pillar Billing